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Superintendent urges review of state'aid equalization after local assessment disparities cited
Summary
Superintendent Mike Vulpi told the board the state aid formula may not fully account for uneven municipal property-assessment schedules, urging state officials and gubernatorial candidates to clarify whether the "equalized value" variable equalizes those differences.
Superintendent Mike Vulpi used the Hillsborough Township Board of Education's June 23 meeting to question whether New Jersey's school-aid formula adequately compensates for widely different municipal property-assessment practices.
Vulpi described contrast between his parents's Woodbridge Township property (assessed at about $80,000 on the town rolls despite a market estimate around $530,000) and his Hillsborough assessment (about $730,000 on a market estimate of roughly $915,000). "My problem is we have a variable in the state aid formula that is not being applied equally across all municipalities," Vulpi said, asking whether the formula's equalized-value component accounts for differences in assessment schedules.
Why it matters: state aid calculations and equalization affect local tax rates and school funding. Vulpi said Hillsborough has been "hit the hardest" by state-aid shifts in Somerset County and asked that gubernatorial candidates and state officials examine whether irregular assessment cycles distort aid distribution.
Vulpi acknowledged he had no definitive answer and invited further analysis, saying he planned to continue researching and to report back to the board and community. He said municipalities use different methods and schedules for revaluations ' some towns inspect properties annually while others rotate triennially or less frequently ' which can leave assessed values out of sync with market values.
Board response: members asked questions but did not produce an immediate explanation of how the state formula handles assessment differences. No formal action was taken; Vulpi asked that candidates and officials engage on the question and offered to brief the board after follow-up work.
Source material: Superintendent's remarks during the superintendent's report at the June 23 board meeting. The transcript records specific examples and Vulpi's request for state-level clarification.
